Maximum Distance

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Grooved Golf Swing - How To Hit Your Golf Ball For Maximum Distance
By Bill Maitland

I was playing golf with my son who hits a good long ball. On a particular tee, we decided to see who could hit the ball further. In making my swing, I did everything I am going to ask you not to do. I tried to hit the ball, to muscle the ball as hard as I could. The result was quite a long drive and a damaged and very painful 12th rib as I had pulled a muscle in that vicinity. If you want to hit a long drive for example, there are several things to consider. I am going to touch on the two main ingredients in this article and mention the rest in future ones.

The two ingredients are the two most important ones. They are

1. Timing and

2. Rhythm. "I know" I hear you say. The point is that timing and rhythm result in excellent balance.

So the most important thing here is BALANCE

Balance is something that is a known factor of the golf swing but something towards which too little attention is directed by.most average golfers.

If you are one of those golfers who attach huge importance to balance, then congratulations. You must be a very good striker of the golf ball. If not, then here is a great opportunity to improve your ball striking and your game. An opportunity to attain greater enjoyment from every round and satisfaction as you see your handicap begin to fall. When you are faced with a long par five and you feel the need to hit a long drive, by all means hit the ball. Sure you have to give it a good hit to get a good start. However you must always make sure that you play within yourself every time you hit your ball.

Make sure your swing is smooth. When you want to hit a long ball, slow you swing down even more than usual. Your swing should be totally unhurried. In actual fact, when you think about making a slow back swing, it will result in you not hurrying it. It will probably be a much better back swing than you usually make if you are a bit quick. It will make your swing more deliberate.

In doing this, you will make the arc of the swing as wide as possible. You will be sure to go to the top of your swing before starting the down swing. The wide arc results in more club head speed which is the deciding factor in the distance achieved.

When your swing goes off, have a look at your back swing. Very often you will find you are not completing it. You are stopping before you get to the top failing to achieve a full shoulder turn. Then you are starting your down swing. The result is a flick at the ball rather than a good hit.

Often a mis-hit.

Good balance is measured very much by observing the finish at the end of the follow through. If the balance is good here, then the rest of the swing before this has been good too with good timing and rhythm.

So play within yourself for your long drives and what ever you do never try to muscle the ball. As mentioned it is club head speed that determines the length of the drive and not the effect of powerful biceps. Muscling the ball may sometimes result in a huge distance, but your consistency will be terrible.

Bill Maitland is a thinking, inventive golf guru. He thought out and developed simple techniques and tips which enabled him to lower his handicap from 25 to 18, then from 18 to 15, and finally from 15 to 12. He is a passionate golfer, and delights in helping others with their game should they want his help. To receive a valuable weekly golf tip go to his web site http://www.onlinegolfershandbook.com and subscribe to his free Hole In One News Letter. You will be so glad that you did. Author of On Line Golfers' Hand Book. An e-Book that takes you step by step to being the best golfer that you can possibly be. The basics in great detail. To learn about his tips and simple techniques and order his book, visit his web site - http://www.onlinegolfershandbook.com and sign up for his free news letter and receive a wealth of great tips every time. He really tries to tell you everything and leaves nothing out as so often happens. When you sign up, receive his free chapter from his book on bunker play.

What Causes Distance?

By John ToepelDistance is the result of three factors in the golf swing.

The first is the obvious: pure club-head speed. Greater club-head speed will hit longer shots.

The second is the club's pressure against the ball. For maximum distance the club must hit the back of the ball while traveling on a line to the target with the clubface perpendicular to the target line. That causes pressure against the back of the ball. If the club strikes the ball on a line not directed toward the target, or if the clubface is at an angle, it will be a glancing blow and not all of the club's speed will be transferred to the ball. This effectively diminishes the speed of the club at impact. Greater club-head speed is of little value if the swing path is across the target line.

The third factor is the ball being struck in the middle of the clubface, as opposed to the toe or heel, top or bottom. For greatest distance you need club-head speed, the club going toward the target with the face square, and a solid hit. How do you get all of that? It's really quite simple.

To increase club head speed, move your feet and knees more quickly to create a quicker weight transfer to your back foot and then from the back foot to the front foot, with completely relaxed shoulders. You only need to move your feet a little more quickly to create quicker arms and therefore a great deal more club-head speed. The quickness of the back swing and the through swing is the direct result of the quickness of your feet and knees and the relaxation in your shoulders. That’s it!!!!

However, part of the problem is that your arms want to help move the club faster. You hold the club in your hands, so instinctively you sense that in order to move the club fast, the arms need to move the club. However, you will quickly learn that if you try to use the muscles in your arms to force your arms to move fast, your arms will actually move slower. This will result in short, crooked, miss-hit shots. That is the normal swing for most golfers -- and it's why many golfers are too tired to play the last nine holes. I see lots of golfers straining and groaning with effort to force that poor, little, white ball to go a long way. They swing with the intention of killing it - and it dies at their feet.

When you make a golf swing, you seem to fight that which comes so naturally when you throw a baseball. To throw a ball farther, you simply move your feet a little more quickly to move your body much more quickly which causes your arm to be dragged far more quickly.

Can you imagine tightening your arm and gripping the baseball very tightly in an attempt to throw it as far as possible? How about standing flat-footed and throwing it to home plate with maximum speed? Neither of these ideas can be viewed as anything other than foolishness. You can't get maximum speed or distance with either of these approaches.

However, short hitters tend to hold the club very tightly, make the arms create the backswing ( which they miss-call the “take away), and swing at the ball with every ounce of power their arms can generate -- all of this with the hope of hitting a long drive. This much physical effort in your arms creates the slowest possible arm movement, just like trying to use your arm muscles to throw the ball a long way.

The answer to great club-head speed is quite simple. To have the club swing quickly, completely relax your shoulders and move your feet and knees a little more quickly. Relaxed shoulders will allow your arms to naturally move with maximum speed and reliability. Make a good throwing motion and notice how little tension is in your throwing arm. Not much, is it? The same rules must apply to your golf swing if you want great distance.

Your next question is probably, "How do my arms move if my shoulders are so relaxed?" Your shoulders stay relaxed just as they do when you throw a ball; your feet move your body, causing your arms to move. Your feet and legs make your body move. Since your arms are attached to your body at your shoulders, your arms are made to move. Your arms become totally dependent on your body for movement, never acting as independent agents. Because of this, your arms will move at the maximum possible speed and with incredible accuracy. You will hit longer shots!

As I have said, if you want to increase the speed of the club-head, slightly quicken the pace of your feet and knees in transferring your weight while having your shoulders totally relaxed. Think and use the word "quick" in place of "fast" or "hard." Quick is a light word that connotes effortless speed. That's the proper image.

Observe Tiger Woods and Fred Couples and see how quickly their feet and knees move back and through the ball. If you watch only the lower half of their body, you will see what I mean. Their shoulders are totally relaxed.

The same is true with Ernie Els and John Daly. Give this some thought and try it on the range; you will find it to be true. Relaxation will also take care of the other two items on the “hit-it-farther” list: the glancing blow and the off-center hits.

What a bonus! Quicker weight transfer with totally relaxed shoulders will give you all three of the distance creators -- greater club-head speed, complete pressure against the ball and more center hits.
Have fun and remember that your body must always generate the motion of your arms if you are to hit the ball far and straight. Think swing quickness rather than swinging fast or hitting the ball hard. Again, it's a fundamental change in thinking, based on sound principles that will make the difference in your distance.

One of my students, Kent Shumate, is a golf professional in Mt. Airy, North Carolina. We talked in the spring of 1999, and he asked if I could help him with his game. Kent had been a very good player and now he was having trouble breaking 80 on a regular basis.

We played nine holes each month while I cleared his head and helped with his confidence. His shots had lost a lot of distance, so I asked if he wanted to hit it farther. “Of course,” he answered. The "lesson" took five minutes; all I told him to do was to use his feet and body to quicken his back swing. He is hitting it 75 yards farther with the driver and two clubs longer with the irons. For some time, his problem was that he didn't know how far he was going to hit his shots. Now, his game has settled down and he's very happy.

Now, you go hit it longer and enjoy the effortless that creates additional distance. It’s fun!

John Toepel is a Veteran PGA Tour Player, instructor, author, and professional speaker. He is also the discoverer of Concept Golf, the quickest way to immediate, life-long lasting improvements to anyone's golf game. To learn more about Concept Golf, including the most comprehensive golf instruction system ever, "The Concept Golf Perfect Shot Making System", please visit http://www.conceptgolf.com/PSMS.htm and Discover the Par Golfer in You!

Imagine how much you could lower your scores by getting the kind of distance you know you’re capable of.

Adding distance to your drives changes the way you attack a golf course. And those extra yards give you a competitive edge. That’s why most of the top players in the world are so focused on finding the right equipment to increase distance.

It’s no secret that most of us want to hit it longer. Golf club manufacturers know this and try to produce drivers that push the distance envelope. The problem? Most drivers sold at retail outlets are built to specs that simply don’t work for most players’ swings.

What can you do to find the right driver?

The answer lies in knowing what the most important club fitting parameters are and using them to match the right equipment to your swing speed.

There are four club fitting keys I can think of that you need to focus on for maximum distance and consistency: loft, shaft flex, club length, and ball spin.

1. Loft

Selecting the right loft may be the most important fitting parameter when you’re looking to increase distance. What’s the biggest mistake most us of make? Going with too low a loft.

Today, drivers play true to loft. That’s a big change from just a few years ago when everyone was hitting 8* Great Big Berthas. Realize that those days are over. Today the unofficial “standard” loft may be about 10.5*.

If your swing speed is below 100 mph you’ll do much better with higher lofts. Swing speeds that are 90 mph and less do well with lofts of at least 12*.

Slower swing speeds don’t generate the spin rate needed to maximize distance. Higher lofts give you more hang time and more distance with the same effort.

Higher swing speeds? They do better with moderate or lower lofts. Look for lofts of 10.5* or less. Swing speeds in excess of 105 mph naturally generate more spin, and that translates into higher trajectories.

2. Shaft Flex

It’s a fact: about 8 out of 10 players select a flex that’s too stiff for their swing. How does this affect distance? All shafts have to bend in order to get the ball airborne. Players with lower swing speeds need more flex to launch the ball on the right trajectory.

Try to find the most flexible shaft you can handle with accuracy. More flexible shafts offer a couple of advantages:

>> You increase distance with less effort because of the shaft’s extra kick.

>> You’ll get better feel with less harshness.

Better feel means more confidence, and that translates into better ball striking. Shafts that are too stiff produce weak shots that are pushed offline.

Remember this:

Not everyone fits this profile. If your swing speed is over 105 mph or if you have a quick backswing-to-downswing transition, then you’ll probably have trouble unless you use fairly stiff shafts.

High swing speeds have trouble with control when shafts get too flexible.

3. Club length

A lot of us don’t pay much attention to club length.

You probably think all clubs are built to standard lengths. The fact is, there are no standards when it comes to club length. Club length can change from brand to brand, or even from model to model within brand.

Most drivers sold today are built to a length of 45.5”, and many drivers reach 46”. That’s because longer lengths usually produce longer drives. You'll hit occasional bombs at these lengths but your consistency suffers.

How come? Your percentage of on-center hits decreases pretty quickly once you go longer than 45”. Miss the sweet spot by just a small amount and you can easily lose 17 yards on a drive.

My guess is, if you go with a driver length of 44.5” your average drive will be longer, and more of those drives will stay in the fairway. That's the reason most tour pros stay below driver lengths of 45”.

If you’re struggling with your driver have a clubmaker shorten the length to about 44.5”. You’ll be surprised at the results.

4. Ball spin

What are the hottest selling golf balls? Just about any ball advertised as a “distance” ball. They’re all pretty similar; they don’t spin much, feel hard at impact, and are usually pretty inexpensive.

Distance balls do work, but ironically, not all that well for most average players. The reason? Distance balls spin less. Slower swing speeds don’t generate the spin needed to make these balls effective.

Players with fast swing speeds can take advantage of a distance ball’s lower spin rate. Slower swing speeds do better with more spin. Look for two piece balls that are softer and spin more; you’ll find they work a lot better in several ways:

>> They stay airborne longer, maximizing carry.

>> They spin more and that helps you hold greens better.

>> They feel softer when hitting chips and short pitch shots.

I’m not sure about you, but I don’t like the high pitched click and hard feel of typical distance balls when I’m putting.

Look for softer two piece balls with spin and you’ll get the advantages of a player’s ball at a reasonable price.

Summing things up…

Good swing fundamentals are a must for hitting consistently long drives. But with drivers and golf balls that don’t fit your swing speed, you’ll never reach your distance potential.

Use these four fitting keys and you should be able to develop a short list of drivers you can field test at the next demo day!